Category Archives: budget

Note: This post was originally shared on my personal blog. So please forgive me if it’s a bit more touchy-feeling than you would expect. But, as I am researching online information and personal reputation, I suppose it’s a good example of how information is shared differently for different audiences for the building and protection of personal reputation!

That’s it folks: the buck stops here. Actually, I suppose I should say the pound stops here. Why? Because my last PhD stipend payment was today, and that means I have no more money coming into my bank accounts—bucks, bobs, quids, or otherwise—until I am finished with my PhD and I get a job.

Am I worried about not having an income? Yes, I am. A little bit, anyhow. After all, I am looking at another 8–12 months before I graduate. Which means it will be about 8–12 months before I am in a position to get a job (and therefore, and income!).

But I knew this day was coming and so I have planned for it. I have saved back a little bit of money from each of my monthly stipend payments over the past three years. And that means that I will have enough money to see me through to graduation.

I am also quite blessed in that I have a rent-free place to live for the duration of my studies. That’s because at the start of my studies a friend offered up the guest room in his home, knowing that a PhD would be unaffordable if I had to pay Edinburgh rents. Whilst I’ve given him a (small) chunk of money, I have not really paid towards my lodgings. Which is the main reason I was able to save enough of my stipend payment each month to cover me through the next few income-less months!

Or at least I will have enough money if there are not major catastrophes that require me spending my savings—or that mean it takes me more than 12 months to finish. But as long as I manage to buckle down and write, write, write, I should be OK. And I have a plan for how I will manage to get those 80,000 written up, so that should help to keep me on track.

If I have done the sums correctly (and if I find a job by the slightly extended time frame I gave myself) I should be able to manage without further financial help. And I should be able to do it all without too many financial sacrifices on my quality of life. Of course, this is largely because my lifestyle is already one of (voluntary) frugality: I find great pleasure in saving money and reducing my spending!

And despite my income ending today, I should have a bit of money left in savings by the time I get a job—if I get a job—which means I won’t go further into debt. (I still have a small personal loan that helped me to bridge the gap between starting my PhD and getting my first stipend payment. And then there are those pesky American student loans from my undergraduate days that will follow me to my deathbed! But I digress…)

Anyhow, this post isn’t a plea for help or a poor-me tale hoping for pity. Instead, it is another illustration to show that I am moving a little bit closer to achieving my PhD Dreams. After all, the end of the stipend means I am officially in writing up mode. And writing up is the key to completing the thesis and graduating!

So the buck stops here and it stops with me. And that means the responsibility for completing my PhD is mine and mine alone. (Though I know I will have the support of my PhD supervisors, family, and friends along the way, too!)

I’ll share a review of the conference afterwards though. This post is all about my poster parcel and my need for a bit of pizzazz. (Sorry, this isn’t an academic post, it’s a PhD life post!)

I didn’t have time to get a poster tube before the St Andrews conference and spent the entire train journey panicked about it getting dented and dinged. (I might be a bit fussy about these things.) So I knew without a doubt that I would need a better transport system for my next trip around the block.

As a “starving student” I couldn’t bring myself to buy a nice cloth or leather poster carrier. No, my budget would only extend to a generic poster tube.

But I’m creative and resourceful, so I wasn’t going to settle for just a plain tube. No, my ego would bow to that.

I thought about printing some of my swirls then découpaging them onto the tube, but I didn’t have decoupage on hand or the glue to make it with. Then I thought about drawing on it or just covering it with stickers, but that just seemed too… boring.

So, I wrapped it with yarn and added a row of star stickers to the top end. I also “extended” one end since the lids on either end dipped in, meaning the “perfect” sized tube wouldn’t allow for both ends to be sealed completely. (If you’ve used a cheap poster tube, you probably know what I’m talking about.)

Here’s how I did it:

First, I extended one end. To do this, I carefully glued the lid to one end without fully closing it. I used a sort of epoxy goop that was lying around the house to do that. I then took three strands of wool and began wrapping them around to hide the lid—using the epoxy to secure the wool at this point. (Are you following this?)

Once I went about an inch around the tube, I realised the epoxy would be too messy and switched to a heavy duty double-sided tape to secure the rest of the wool. I worked my way around switching out colours until I was about an inch and a half from the top.

Then I punched a hole in the tube to bring the wool inside. From there, I looped it through two holes I punched in the top lid (with some slack) then back to the initial hole in the tube to tie it off. This provided me with a lid that can’t be lost! (You can never be too careful, you know!)

One of the reasons I tied the wool off like this was because I feared it would unravel if I wrapped it all the way to the top. And that’s where the star stickers came in—as a way to decorate that last little bit of tube.

I think that one of the hardest things about doing a PhD might be finding money. For my own studies, I know that I would have been unable to proceed without a studentship or other large funding source—which makes me very grateful to have been offered more than one studentship when I was seeking a place to study. (Sadly, I’ve heard many stories from people who’ve been unable to do a PhD because they weren’t so lucky.)

Whilst some people awarded studentships no longer need to find additional forms of finance for their studies, as they’re offered a tuition waiver as well as a small living stipend, that’s not the case for every student in recipient of a studentship.

For example, I am on a studentship but as an international student, I have to pay the difference between domestic and international tuition out of pocket. (Which is a lot of money for someone like me!) And that means I will spend my years as a PhD student applying for scholarships to help cover the gaps.*

Yesterday, I applied for my first scholarship of my PhD career** and I am now trying to find others that I may qualify for. I’ve decided that I will apply for as many scholarships and grants as I can get with the idea that finding “too much” money one year can help off-set a lack of money for another—but I have to remember that I am only one of many applying for the same pots of funding.

I have a list of scholarships that I will be applying for when they open up for the 2014/15 academic year and I am constantly on the look-out for more. But I’m also realising that I need to start looking at travel grants and conference scholarships so that I can further my training and knowledge by attending academic events throughout the UK, Europe, and even the world.

I am not stressed out about money (right now) but I realise that many PhD students (and students in general) spend a lot of time worrying about their finances and I imagine it makes a big impact on the amount of time they spend worrying about their studies.

So, what is this post about? I guess it’s a bit of an introduction to one of the general topics I’ll likely be covering throughout my studies: Finances!

Yes, part of Just a PhD will be devoted to talking about how I am working to add to my PhD budget—as well as how I plan to stretch the limited funds I have now. Those things will include scholarship applications, paid opportunities through the university (if there are any), and my own frugality which I’ve been perfecting since my teen-aged years.

And if you know of any great scholarships I should be applying for, please do give a shout! Every little penny counts and as soon as I have a bit more financial security, I can spend less time worrying about money and more time doing important things like PhDing!

* I have been blessed with a place to stay in a friend’s home until I can find funding, which means that I am not at risk of starvation or homelessness. Having a bit of stability helps! (As does having generous friends!)

** I applied for a few before I began my studies but have yet to be successful. I won’t give up though!